Befitting ballet on Ramadasu
GUDIPOODI SRIHARI
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Ananda Sankar Jayant presented an impressive ballet based on Ramadas `kirtanas'.
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HIGHLY EXPRESSIVE Ananda Sankar Jayant enthralled the audience with her new ballet.
Ananda Sankar Jayant is a multi-talented artiste, specially known for presentation of ballets on varied subjects . She is the product of Chennai's Kalakshetra. She came out with a new ballet with Bhakta Ramadasu as central character, titled O Rama Neenamamenta Ruchira, a pallavi of one of Ramdas' kirtanas. This was one of the highlights of the SICA Annual Festival held at Ravindra Bharati. The feature related the life and times of Ramadasu and also his agony after he was arrested and imprisoned in Golconda fort by the then Muslim ruler Tanasha.
The specialty of this concept lay in weaving the theme using many of the Ramadasu kirtanas. A thoughtful use of a rope made out of a long cloth, which gave the illusion of a jail and other backdrops, was interesting. Ananda and her disciples rendered the ballet, which was absorbing. These kirtanas were rendered in traditional tunes familiar to generations of bhaktas. Thygaraja too was inspired by these kirtanas of Ramadasu and incorporated the same spirit in his works. This story line was presented vividly with apt abhinaya by Ananda, playing the role of Ramadasu. Many kirtanas related to those situations of Ramadasu in jail, were presented imaginatively. And the element of Bharatanatyam was not sacrificed as Ananda created in her choreography spaces for presentation of jatis of high standard, without disturbing the mood of the drama. As the play progressed many popular kirtanas rolled out. The composition, Takkuvemi Manaku was converted into a presentation of the Avataras (incarnations) of Srirama, named in the kirtana. Similarly Idigo Bhadradri, Srirama Neenama and many more were translated into explicit abhinaya.
The ballet was enriched by the impressive vocal support by Venumadhav. His voice is quite rich and expressive, sharing the burden of this ballet creditably. Renuka Prasad conducted the dance with good nattuvangam, to the mridangam support of T.P. Balasubramanyam, Dattatreya on flute, Sayi and Anil on violin and Sridharacharya on rhythms, constituted good orchestral support. Surabhi men, experts in make up art too, lent their knowledge in presenting the characters appropriately.
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